An HIV vaccine is a hypothetical vaccine against HIV, the etiological agent of AIDS. As there is no known cure for AIDS, the search for a vaccine has become part of the struggle against the disease.

The urgency of the search for a vaccine against HIV stems from the AIDS-related death toll of over 25 million people since 1981.[1] Indeed, in 2002, AIDS became the primary cause of mortality due to an infectious agent in Africa (UNAIDS, 2004).

when the scammers write you , just mark them as spam , and also let this site know who the scammers are .I get all kinds of wierdows hitt me up ,so when get the email and if i know there a scam ,i mark them as spam

tamara76 @ Nov 12 : 11:13

hi..new to this page...where are all you poz caucasian men...am 31yrs ebony love seeking gentleman btwn 33-47 for LTR and hopefully more.. So if you are out there email me at tandi789@yahoo.com. Serious offers only pls. Peace and love to you all......

LivingPositive.org is an open, public forum. The vision is to create a One Stop News, Health, and Services Database for the HIV community. This site is completely interactive. So, as a community, we can come together and collectively help each other locate important News, Services, and Friendships.

Most of us know, or remember, the fear that a simple dental appointment can trigger. Personally, I still feel a little uneasy just getting a haircut. Many of us have gone for years without basic health care necessities simply because we fear the unknown. Letâs end that fear and at the same time support the people in our communities who have supported us.

The concept is simple and the possibilities are limitless. Read a good article; post it. Know a good doctor, dentist, pharmacist, hair stylist, or massage therapist; post it. Anything that you find important, or think someone else will find important; post it.

Together, we can make a difference.

Sincerely,

LivingPositive.org

HIV infants studied

Infants infected with HIV who are treated with one or two antiretroviral drugs within two months of birth are less likely to develop AIDS by their third birthdays than infants who are treated later, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Stanfordâs School of Medicine and the Lucile Packard Childrenâs Hospital. Babies who received a cocktail of three antiretroviral drugs fared even better. The results are significant because there is still some uncertainty about potential side effects when drugs are administered at a very young age.
âThere is a significant difference in the likelihood of disease progression, even though there is only about a month separating the initiation of therapy in the two groups,â said[censored]ociate Prof. of Pediatrics Yvonne Maldonado, the reportâs senior author.

Currently, deciding when to begin treating an HIV-infected infant is the responsibility of the childâs physician, largely because the long-term effects of ongoing retroviral treatment are unknown.

âThe whole idea of the study is to follow children with HIV over time and make sure we could track the illness in children, then to use that tracking to make sure we could treat children better and more effectively,â Maldonado said.

Without treatment, about 20 to 30 percent of infected infants will develop AIDS by the time they reach four months old. The rest will develop advanced symptoms by the time they are six years old.

Since some of these infected infants will appear healthy, researchers suggest that early treatment might be appropriate for even those who do not show symptoms of the disease. However, they caution that clinical trials are needed to determine if every infected newborn should be treated or if some infants will benefit more than others.

Maldonado and her colleagues collected data from hospitals throughout northern California over a 17-year period beginning in 1988. They followed the children for the first three years of life, tracked their age when AIDS developed and the rate of survival through their third birthdays.

âWe were able to analyze children with the full-spectrum of disease across many years, rather than using mathematical models to predict the development of illness in the children,â Maldonado said. âWe were able to see the real distribution of illness, what kinds of treatment the children were given and the ages when they started treatment.â

The researchers divided the newborns into three groups: those born between 1988 and 1991, between 1992 and 1995 and between 1996 and 2001 based on the types of therapy available in those years. Members of the early group were tested for infection by their first birthday; members of the middle and late groups were[censored]essed within the first month, and those in the late group benefited from the introduction of a special type of antiretroviral drug called a protease inhibitor, which interferes with the virusâ ability to replicate.

Not surprisingly, infants born later were more likely to receive triple-drug therapy and less likely to experience symptoms of AIDS. In fact, none of the 23 children who received triple-drug therapy developed AIDS before their third birthdays and none died.

âThis is an important finding because thereâs been a lot of controversy in the literature as to whether infected but asymptomatic infants should be started on therapy right away,â Maldonado said. âWeâve clearly shown that early treatment of asymptomatic infants â no matter what it is â makes a big difference in preventing or delaying the progression of the disease.â

Roche Holding AG said on Wednesday it will voluntarily withdraw its anti-HIV drug Fortovase in early 2006 because demand for the drug has declined significantly.
The Swiss drugmaker said Fortovase will be discontinued in the first quarter of 2006 because of the availability of a new formulation of the drug, sold as Invirase, which is easier to tolerate.

Roche said the decision was not a result of concerns about safety or effectiveness. Roche said its drug Invirase will remain on the market.